Skin of the Teeth
by Isabelle Ashe
Summary: Janet accompanies SG-1 on a mission, the success of which depends on her ability to heal a young king. In the process, they run into an old enemy. DanJan
1. Part 1 of 2

Title: Skin of the Teeth

Author: Isabelle Ashe 

Categories: Daniel/Janet, action/adventure

Rating: PG-13

Spoilers/Season: The Curse; set season 7 (pre-Chimera, which won't happen in the world of this fic; I think we can safely assume Heroes won't happen, either!)

Archive: Dan and Jan, Daniel/Janet Challenge Archive, anyone else who wants it (but please let me know!)

Summary: Janet accompanies SG-1 on a mission, the success of which depends on her ability to heal a young king. In the process, they run into an old enemy.

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Stargate SG-1, and I am not profiting from this story!

Author's Notes: My first attempt at an action/adventure type story; hopefully it comes off okay. This is somewhat different from what I usually write, so I am a little uncomfortable with it. I am also writing in response to Meg's action/adventure fic challenge/contest. Here are the criteria:

1 The prominent ship pairing must be Daniel/Janet. Other ships have  
their own fics... this is for Dan&Jan. Whether they're just  
discovering they have feelings for each other throughout the fic or  
they're already in a relationship is up to you.

2 It must fit into the category of action/adventure, at least to some  
degree. (There just aren't enough of those for Dan/Jan)

3 At least the majority of the fic must be set off-world. Where and  
why is up to you.

4 Have at least one previously established enemy from the show in the  
story somewhere. Which one and what they're doing is up to you.

5 No permanent character death (though if the enemy is destroyed,  
that's a-ok).

6 No NC-17 content.

* * *

Part One

* * *

"So, Colonel, you're telling me that these people would be willing to make an alliance with us on the condition that Dr. Fraiser heal their king?" General Hammond looked both skeptical and interested as he surveyed his flagship team and chief medical officer seated around the table.

"That's about the size of it, sir," replied O'Neill. He paused and looked pointedly at Carter and Daniel before continuing. "I understand that this stuff they've got is pretty cool, and these two are like kids in a candy shop, and all that, but I do want to note my reservation about the whole situation. I can't explain it, besides the fact that they're kind of sexist, but I don't feel good about these guys." Carter opened her mouth as if to object, but the general answered first.

"Reservation noted, Colonel." He turned to the eager-faced astrophysicist. "What are your thoughts, Major?"

"Sir, I will admit that these people are not perhaps the _most_ helpful and agreeable people we've ever run into, but this element in the soil there is absolutely unbelievable. The preliminary tests I've run indicate that it could be just the stabilizing element we've needed for the naquadria. The inhabitants of P3F-289 have no mining operations and seem rather unaware of the potential of their resources. If we could work out an agreement with them, sir, it could give our naquadria technology just the boost we've needed."

"Plus, sir," piped in Daniel, "they've got one of the most extraordinary temples I've come across in a long time."

"To whom is the temple dedicated, Dr. Jackson? Anyone we know?" inquired General Hammond.

"More trouble, sir!"

Daniel glared briefly at Jack. "Uh, to Osiris." Jack raised his hands as if to imply 'see, I told you so.' Daniel continued quickly, "But there's no evidence that she's made any recent visits. She may have forgotten all about 289. And we might be able to learn valuable information to help us take her out of power and possibly even save Sarah Gardner, the host."

"And don't forget my element, sir," reminded Sam.

"It does appear that there would be distinct advantages to such an alliance," conceded the general. "You may take Dr. Fraiser and a medical team back with you and proceed with caution. I do not want to underestimate Colonel O'Neill's reservation, however. No element or temple is worth an alliance with people we cannot truly trust, nor, needless to say, is it worth jeopardizing any of your lives."

Janet had been listening to the conversation and waiting to be asked for her own opinion. When it appeared that the meeting would be adjourned without consulting her, she cleared her throat pointedly. "Excuse me, sir, but may I ask more about this mission, since its success or failure evidently now rests in my hands?" General Hammond, and especially Sam and Daniel, all had the good grace to look slightly chastised.

"Of course, Doctor. Go ahead."

"First of all, what is the condition of this king who is evidently ill? Do we know what's wrong with him?" All the members of SG-1 stared uncomfortably down at their hands. Finally, O'Neill shot an inquiring look at Carter.

"Uh, well," began the major, "we didn't really get a good look at him. He was in bed, conscious, and he might have been running a fever, but it was kind of hard to tell because of the bad lighting. The prime minister was pretty upset that we saw him at all when he found out that we weren't healers."

"Might have been running a fever?" Janet could hardly believe it. "So we really don't know what's wrong with him. Great. What happens if he's ill beyond our ability to heal? What if he has some terminal illness? If he dies, is your deal off?"

"See!" O'Neill was almost jubilant. "I told you this was too fishy. I just don't trust these guys."

"O'Neill, I agree that the prime minister was less than forthcoming; however, there is nothing to prevent us from returning to the planet with DoctorFraiser, is there? If she cannot heal the king, we are in no worse position than we are now. If she can, there may be great advantages." Teal'c had been silent throughout the briefing, but now that he spoke, he seemed, as usual, to be the voice of reason.

"I agree with Teal'c," responded General Hammond. "Colonel and Doctor, I appreciate your concerns, but for the time being, I am ordering you to proceed with caution. Doctor Fraiser, do your best, and we'll see what happens. Be ready to leave in an hour. Dismissed."

* * *

The hour of preparation had passed quickly, and Janet was stuffing the last of her supplies into her pack only five minutes before she was scheduled to be back in the gate room. Concentrating on her checklist, she didn't hear the footsteps enter the room. She jumped, startled, as a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist from behind.

"You got everything you need?" asked Daniel, pulling her to him and leaning over to plant a kiss on the nape of her neck. Janet jumped and blushed. Her relationship with Daniel was so new that she had not yet become used to public displays of affection.

"You startled me. And yes, I think I've got everything. Or at least I hope I do—I don't really know what I need, of course, since you guys didn't manage to see the patient." She didn't hide the touch of resentment in her voice, and Daniel looked accordingly guilty.

"Sorry, Jan. I guess we got a little, uh, preoccupied. Sam's really excited about this element she found, and you've just got to see this temple. I need to cross-reference the characters in the script with some other languages before I can really start translating. But it really has a lot of information about Osiris there. If we could learn more about her goals—what they were, at least, we might be able to find her, and who knows, maybe we could get her alive and save Sarah." Janet turned around to look at him, one eyebrow raised.

"Is that what this is really about, Daniel?" She hoped her voice didn't sound as uncertain as she felt. Even though most of the time she was sure of Daniel's feelings for her, there was always a nagging part that made her wonder if she could really compare to the ex-girlfriend captured by the Goa'uld.

"Well," he hesitated, "I think Sam's element is probably more valuable in the eyes of the Air Force. But one less Goa'uld in the universe is always a good thing, right? And if we could save Sarah. . ." Janet swallowed, forced a half smile, and turned back to her pack.

"I agree that this alliance does seem like a good thing. But it does kind of add to the pressure when I realize how disappointed you'll be if we can't heal this king. I'm not a miracle worker, you know."

"I know that. And I hope we're not pressuring you to try to be one. Of course," he added, his arms coming around her again, "I do happen to think you're pretty amazing." Janet smiled and felt a little foolish for entertaining doubts of Daniel's affection. She turned around again and kissed him softly.

"We should probably get going," she said as they drew apart. Daniel nodded in agreement and helped her close her pack before hoisting his own and following her to the gate room.

* * *

"_This_ is your healer?" asked the prime minister, his voice dripping with disdain as he sized up Janet. Janet, her medical team, and all of SG-1 drew themselves up in a defensive posture.

"This is Dr. Fraiser," answered O'Neill, his voice measured and challenging. "She is our finest physician." The prime minister snorted as if this assertion was doubtful.

"And who are these people," he asked, waving toward the two sergeants Janet had brought with her. "I only gave permission for you to return with your healer."

"These are my staff, Sergeant Taylor and Sergeant Ruiz," answered Janet, her voice acquiring the dominating tone she had perfected through years of dealing with belligerent patients.

"Send them back," ordered the prime minister. "I only gave permission for the healer."

"I need them to do my job," insisted Janet.

"Well, you must not be much of a healer, then. Fine, you can all go. We don't need you."

"Fine!" answered O'Neill, despite the horrified looks on Daniel and Sam's faces.

"Mr. Prime Minister, sir," pleaded a subservient-looking aide, "we don't know if this healer might be able to heal the king. Would it hurt to at least let her try?" This point did seem to concern the prime minister.

"She stays, but these two must go," he declared after a moment, again waving his hand dismissively at Taylor and Ruiz. "Either she can heal his majesty or she cannot."

"Look," began Jack angrily, but Janet cut him off.

"It's okay, sir. If there's only the one patient, it probably doesn't matter whether I have my nurses or not. I'll see what I can do."

No one looked at all happy about the situation, but O'Neill finally conceded, sending Teal'c back to the Stargate with Taylor and Ruiz.

"You!" commanded the prime minister, pointing at Janet. "Go with Ruman to see his majesty."

Janet took a deep breath and walked after the man who was evidently Ruman. She cast a longing look back at Daniel, Sam, and Jack, all of whom tried to follow.

"You three will not follow!"

"Carter, I told you this was a bad idea," Jack muttered under his breath.

* * *

Daniel felt a convulsive panic sweep through him as he watched Janet walk away. He started forward after her again, but Jack checked him with a hand on his arm. Jack looked very angry.

"Mr. Prime Minister," Jack began in a quiet, deceptively calm voice that Daniel knew spelled trouble, "with your permission, my people would like to continue their investigations around the temple. I will follow Dr. Fraiser and wait outside until she has finished examining the king." The prime minister looked as if he wanted to object, but something in Jack's voice and expression checked him. Instead, he nodded derisively and walked away in a huff.

"Well?" asked Jack, turning to Sam and Daniel. "Go play with your rocks and minerals while you've got the chance."

"Janet," began Daniel helplessly.

"—is going to try to save the stupid king so that you can get your hands on this temple. So get to it. I'll tell T to head over your direction when he gets back. Don't get into trouble, and I'll keep an eye on the doc."

Jack stomped off in the direction Ruman had led Janet, and Daniel and Sam looked blankly at one another before heading toward the temple.

"We're walking on thin ice here, Sam," Daniel commented after they got outside of the town.

"I know," she admitted. "But I think we might be able to swing it, depending on what's wrong with the king. I mean, maybe if Janet can just pump him full of antibiotics, then we can get our deal."

"Don't these people bother you, though? I mean, they wouldn't let you sit at the negotiation table, and they certainly don't think much of women as doctors, to judge from their reaction to Janet. Is such a sexist group of people really worth dealing with?"

Sam hesitated before answering. "Of course it bothers me, Daniel. But they're no more sexist than our own culture was fifty years ago. And I _really_ want this element. Why the doubt now? You said yourself how important this temple is—that it could possibly help us find Osiris and maybe save Sarah."

"Does it seem kind of, I don't know, weird or something, that I'm kind of using Janet on the chance that I might be able to save Sarah?"

Sam stopped and looked at him with narrowed eyes. "I hadn't thought of it that way," she said cautiously. "How do you feel about that?"

"Confused," he admitted, his face showing it. "My instincts want to grab us all, especially Janet, and high-tail it back to the gate. But if it is just a matter of some antibiotics like you said… But Sam, if something happens to her, I'll never forgive myself."

"Nothing's going to happen to her, Daniel." He looked unconvinced.

"It's just," he faltered, "whenever I let myself care about someone, something always happens."

Sam turned to look at him, sympathy on her face. "Not always, Daniel. Look at all of us—we're still here, right? I mean, it's not quite the same, but you get the point." He nodded faintly. "So you really like Janet, huh?" Daniel blushed.

"Yeah. I really do, Sam."

"And if we were by some chance able to save Sarah?"

"Huh?" Daniel looked confused and slightly shocked. "It would be great if we could save Sarah, but what does that have to do with me liking Janet? I haven't cared for Sarah like that for years."

"Okay, sorry to suggest it. You might want to make sure that Janet knows how you feel, though. She looked a little nervous when you brought up Sarah in the briefing."

Daniel couldn't believe he hadn't noticed. Could Janet possibly doubt his feelings for her? And could she imagine that he cared more for Sarah than for her? He opened his mouth to say something further to Sam, but he realized he wasn't sure what to say. Not for the first time, he felt compelled to rush back to Janet and sweep her back home to safety. He knew, however, that she would never forgive him for playing her knight in shining armor when she was fully capable of looking after herself.

They had arrived at the temple area, and Sam headed over to the area where she had found the strongest mineral deposits. Taking a deep breath and digging out his notebook, Daniel resolved to work on his translation.


	2. Part 2 of 2

Part Two

* * *

The afternoon progressed uneventfully for Sam, Daniel, and Teal'c at the temple, and that evening they met Jack and Janet back at the little cabin they'd been given to share.

"So what's the story on the king?" Sam asked as she dug the M.R.E.'s out of her pack. The townspeople's hospitality had not extended to offering them dinner, but SG-1 and Janet were just as happy to avoid socializing with their hosts.

Janet sighed. "Without any equipment, it's hard to tell for sure. He has some kind of massive infection in his lower abdomen. I've got him on heavy antibiotics on the chance that it's just a bacterial infection gone out of control, but I'm not holding my breath. Once I got enough painkillers in his system to do something like a thorough exam, I could feel some kind of mass in his abdomen. Frankly, I'm suspecting cancer—probably colon or liver, or metastasized in both, from the amount of pain he's in."

"So there's nothing you can do?"

"Unless I'm wrong and these antibiotics start to have some effect, there's nothing I can do. Even if I had him back at the SGC, I suspect the cancer is just too far advanced. I'm sorry, guys, but I don't know if I can get you your deal." She slumped against the wall of the cabin, and Daniel was immediately at her side.

"Hey, don't worry about it, Jan. Sam and I were able to get a lot of work done today. And who knows, maybe they would still be open to negotiations. It doesn't hurt to try." Janet looked as though she didn't believe him, but she squeezed his hand reassuringly anyway.

At that moment, the door to the cabin burst in, and Ruman, accompanied by half a dozen armed men, thundered into the room.

"Where is the healer?" he demanded. SG-1 all sprang for their weapons, but they realized it was a futile effort as they found weapons already trained on them. Ruman quickly spotted Janet and motioned for one of the men to take her into custody. "Why have you left the king?"

"He is resting," answered Janet defiantly. "I will return to him after I eat my dinner."

"You will return now," growled Ruman. The armed man reached for Janet's arm and jerked her forward.

"Hey!" yelled Daniel, lunging forward, "Let go of her!" His valiance was rewarded by a gun butt in the gut, and all movement was checked when Janet's captor jammed his weapon up against her throat.

Ruman laughed hollowly as two of his guards forced Janet out the door. "You realize, don't you, that by offering your healer, you have forfeited her. You may have her back when she heals his majesty. Otherwise, we keep her, though I can't imagine what use she could possibly be." He motioned to the rest of his men and turned to go. At the doorway, he turned. "Your healer will be under heavy guard, and if you so much as attempt to come near her, my men have orders to shoot her." He smirked as he left the room.

"Son of a bitch!" Daniel yelled as he grabbed a P-90 and ran for the door. "Goddamn you!"

"Whoa, Daniel!" cried Jack, springing forward to curtail his friend before he shot Ruman full of bullets. "We'll get her out, but that's not the way to do it, okay?" Daniel continued to clutch the weapon and strain toward the door. "Put the gun down, Daniel," Jack repeated, more calmly this time. "If you shoot him, they'll shoot Janet. We'll get her out; we've just got to be smart about it." With shaking hands, Daniel lowered the gun and sank to the floor.

Sam had started pacing and was almost as visibly upset as Daniel. "This is all my fault! If I hadn't insisted on this stupid element we would have left this planet and Janet never would have come. I can't believe I was so blind to all of the signs these people were giving off. How could we have trusted them even for half a minute." The pitch of her voice elevated as she continued her tirade.

"Carter," warned O'Neill.

"Sir, if we had listened to you. This is all my fault."

"Stop it, Major!" Jack's voice was sharp and authoritative when she didn't heed his warning. Sam immediately stopped pacing and stared at him, frustration nevertheless seething under the surface of her strained expression. Jack kept one hand on Daniel's shoulder to keep him from bolting out the door as his body seemed to want to do.

"Okay, so we've been pretty stupid here—all of us," began Jack once he had his team's full attention. "But now we need to think rationally and figure out how to grab the doc and get our asses off this planet. They seem pretty invested in getting their king healed, so as long as he hangs in there, Janet's probably in the clear. So we've got some time to do this right."

Sam nodded reluctantly, and even Daniel relented, standing up and giving up his gun to Teal'c.

"Okay," said Jack, "T, do we have guards outside?" The Jaffa crept to the door and a moment later answered in the negative. "Okay, Teal'c, you keep an eye on the doc. Don't let them on to you, or they might make trouble for her, but make sure nothing happens to her. The rest of us will try to reason with the prime minister."

* * *

Slowly and methodically, Janet checked her patient's vital signs and measured doses of pain medication and antibiotics. She knew if she concentrated on her task, she would be able to keep from panicking. She was also determined not to show weakness to the two surly guards posted at the entrance to the sick-room.

The king had scarcely been conscious since she had arrived. He was very young—perhaps twenty at the most—and she understood that part of the people's eagerness for him to be healed stemmed from the fact that he was the last of his family line. As she gripped his wrist, counting off his pulse, he stirred.

"What? Who are you?" asked the weak voice from the bed. He looked alarmed and confused, so Janet gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

"My name is Dr. Fraiser. Your prime minister asked if I could see what I can do to help you feel better." She decided to leave her explanation as neutral as possible until she learned more about this young man; if she was lucky, though, perhaps she could persuade him to order the prime minister and Ruman to let her go.

"You're a healer?" the king asked skeptically.

"Yes."

"But you're a woman."

"On my planet, women are just as likely as men to be healers."

"Your planet?"

Janet nodded and tried briefly to explain about Earth and the Stargate. As she described travel through the Stargate, a look of wonder and recognition came over the king's face.

"I had a vision that my god Osiris came to me through the great ring. He came to save me. Do you come from Osiris? Are you his emissary?"

Janet tried to check the look of fear and apprehension that she felt spread over her features. Daniel had said there was no sign of Osiris having been here in thousands of years, she reminded herself; the king must simply hold to some of the old myths. "Ah, no," answered Janet after a moment. "Definitely not from Osiris."

"That is unfortunate," answered the king, who was clearly disappointed.

"Actually, no it's not so unfortunate. I hate to break it to you, but Osiris isn't a god."

"You blaspheme!" declared the king with as much passion as he could muster despite his pain. Janet heard the guards take a step forward. "What can you, a woman, know about the great Osiris? He will come and avenge this blasphemy!"

"She," replied Janet before she could check herself. She knew she was walking a thin line, but she didn't want this young man to die still deceived by the Goa'uld. "Osiris is a she," she explained, responding to the king's confused expression.

"Impossible!" he breathed.

"I'm afraid so. I've met her—not an experience I want to repeat. She's not a god. She's a Goa'uld—a little power-hungry parasite who enslaves humans in an effort to take over the galaxy." The king stared at her, horrified, for a moment.

"Guard!" he called. Janet's heart sank. This is the end, she thought, and I never actually told Daniel that I love him. "Guard, go to the priest. Tell him to summon Osiris!" The guard looked doubtful for a moment, but then moved to obey his king. The king turned back to Janet. "We will let Osiris take vengeance on you himself."

* * *

SG-1 had demanded an audience with the prime minister, but they were put off until the following morning. Jack had the final watch of the night, and while there were still a couple of hours of night remaining, he noticed Daniel tossing and turning in his bedroll. A few minutes later, Daniel got up and started pacing.

"Go back to sleep, Daniel. You need your rest."

"I can't sleep. I think I'm going to go crazy with worry."

"She'll be okay, Danny," Jack answered, hoping he sounded more assured on the subject than he actually felt. "We'll talk to the prime minister in the morning, get this whole thing cleared up. We're not going to stand by and let anything happen to the doc."

"Why do I feel like that's exactly what we're doing?" Daniel plopped down next to Jack with frustration. He sighed heavily, pulled off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "I'm so scared, Jack. If they hurt her…" Daniel's voice trailed off shakily. Jack placed a comforting hand on his best friend's shoulder. "I love her, Jack," confessed Daniel in a faint whisper.

"I know," Jack answered simply. "We'll get her out and get home safely, Daniel. I promise."

Daniel looked up at him, tears threatening to fall, and nodded.

* * *

First thing in the morning, Jack, Sam, and Daniel found themselves awaiting an audience with the prime minister. The guards had protested heavily against Sam's entering the conference room, but Jack wouldn't take no for an answer, grabbing Sam's hand himself and pulling her along beside him.

"Colonel O'Neill," sneered the prime minister, "to what do I owe this pleasure so early in the morning."

"Tell your men to let Dr. Fraiser go. We'll go and not return to bother you anymore."

"You all are free to go whenever you like. Your healer, however, has contracted to stay until her job is finished."

"She has done nothing of the kind," answered Daniel indignantly. "Dr. Fraiser's offer to help was an act of generosity. She is under no obligation to stay."

"That is not the way it works here," replied the prime minister. "If there is nothing further, you may go. I have a busy day ahead of me."

"No!" answered Jack. "We're not leaving until you we can do so with all of our people. You order your men to let Dr. Fraiser go!"

The prime minister did not have time to respond before a young man ran panic-stricken into the room. "Your excellency," cried the youth, "there's been an accident at the temple! The priest was offering sacrifice to Osiris under order of the king, and—"

"And what?" prompted the prime minister, clearly annoyed.

The voice that answered came from the hallway just outside the door, and it reverberated with the harsh tones of the Goa'uld. "And your priest was not prepared for what he was so quick to summon." Jack, Sam, and Daniel simultaneously reached for their weapons as Osiris strode into the room, followed by six or seven Jaffa.

SG-1 aimed their weapons, but Osiris's Jaffa responded in kind. "I would not fire if I were you, Tau'ri," warned Osiris haughtily. "I have my personal shields up, of course, and my Jaffa would quickly kill you all." Two of the Jaffa came forward and disarmed and bound SG-1. Osiris waited for them to finish before addressing the team. "Doctor Jackson, what a pleasant surprise. And Major Carter, how nice to see you again. And the great Colonel O'Neill. You are not nearly as formidable-looking as we have been led to believe."

"Wh-what is all this?" sputtered the prime minister.

"Silence, fool!" ordered Osiris, slamming the man against the wall with her hand device. "Kneel before your god!"

"Who let this woman in here?" demanded Ruman, who had just entered. Osiris turned the hand device on him.

"We may enter where we please, Tau'ri! We are your god, Osiris."

"Osiris—not—a—woman," gasped Ruman. Osiris laughed scornfully as she applied her hand device to him.

A moment later, she turned back to her Jaffa. "Let us go find the one who has summoned us: the one who calls himself king." She appeared interested and slightly amused at the pale, panicked expression that Daniel's face suddenly acquired. "Bring the prisoners; we have yet to decide how best to deal with them." She spun around and walked haughtily out of the room, and Daniel, Sam, and Jack each found themselves prodded forward by the dangerous end of a staff weapon.

* * *

Teal'c had been hiding near the cabin to which the guards had taken Dr. Fraiser. There were four armed men posted outside and two more inside; if they could manage to disable the outside guards noiselessly, he reasoned, the two inside would be fairly vulnerable. Just as he was beginning to wonder about trying to rendezvous with O'Neill and the others, Teal'c heard the unmistakable sound of a Goa'uld ship overhead. Taking cover even more carefully, he watched rings beam down into the temple a half mile away.

"O'Neill," he whispered into his radio. O'Neill did not answer. Teal'c hoped his friends realized what was happening before it was too late. Dr. Fraiser's guards appeared not to notice anything amiss, so Teal'c moved stealthily to a position where he could see better. Across the field from the temple marched Osiris, accompanied by several Jaffa. Not many, though, Teal'c observed: clearly she does not expect us to be on this planet.

He realized that remaining hidden was his greatest advantage for the time being, so he moved more slowly than he would have liked to avoid detection. Before he could assume a position more to his advantage, Osiris emerged from the prime minister's apartments, holding his friends prisoner and leading them toward the cabin where the king lay ill. Teal'c instantly decided that speed was more important than absolute stealth, and he crept quickly up the ridge he was hiding under and made his way to the back of the hospital cabin. He quickly zatted the lone guard there and positioned himself where he could make a speedy entrance through a window if necessary.

There was a great commotion outside the front of the cabin, presumably a skirmish between the Jaffa and the guards. One of the guards called for backup, and the two posted in the room forgot about Dr. Fraiser for the time being and ran out the door.

"DoctorFraiser!" Teal'c whispered insistently at the window. She heard him instantly and ran to the sound of his voice.

"Teal'c! What's going on?"

"Osiris has landed with a small force of Jaffa. She has taken O'Neill, MajorCarter, and DanielJackson prisoner, and she attacks the native guards. She is outside. Take this," he finished, thrusting his zat into her hands, "but do not reveal that you are armed. Do not fire unless I signal, and do not reveal my position. Quickly, as you were!"

Janet had just enough time to tuck the weapon into her jacket and to return to the table where she had been working when Osiris burst into the door, the Jaffa—one fewer after the skirmish with the guards—pushing Jack, Sam, and Daniel in after her. She stood up quickly, her wide eyes locking instantly with Daniel's.

Osiris seemed not to notice her at first but instead looked at the ailing king, who had slipped back into unconsciousness. "This is the so-called king who has summoned us? Impossible! He is not worth our notice."

Suddenly, she turned to Janet. "But you," she said slowly, a smile creeping onto her face, "you might be quite amusing." Janet felt the color drain from her face, and her hands groped for something stable to hold onto, grasping instead only her stethescope and a hypodermic she had been about to administer to the king. Osiris moved a step closer. "We remember you, we believe. You are of the Tau'ri, but you are not a member of SG-1." Janet made no response. "How would your friends like to watch you die?"

"NO!!!" screamed Daniel, lunging forward. One of the Jaffa discharged his staff weapon, but Jack managed to jump in the way, causing the Jaffa to miss Daniel but catching part of the blast in his own leg. Teal'c appeared at the window and picked off two Jaffa with his staff weapon before they realized he was there. Janet grabbed her zat and fired once at Osiris, but the Goa'uld's personal shield left her unscathed. Before Janet could think clearly, Osiris raised her hand, and Janet was doubled over with the most excruciating pain she had ever experienced.

Teal'c had jumped into the window and fought off two more Jaffa while managing to untie Carter and hand her his 9 mm. He killed the remaining Jaffa as Carter ran to check on O'Neill. Meanwhile, Daniel, his hands still tied behind him, had flung himself at Osiris.

"No, no, please, let her go. Please stop!" he begged, throwing himself against the Goa'uld's shield. She merely laughed and briefly directed the hand device at Daniel, sending him flying against the wall. "It is unbecoming to grovel, Dr. Jackson. We must say we enjoy watching you reduced to this. You obviously care about this woman. How pathetic. Perhaps we should not kill her right now, much as it would please us to do so. We think instead that she would make an excellent host."

Daniel cried out in protest and tried futilely to get up. Osiris turned her hand device on Sam and Teal'c, who were charging her, and they too joined Daniel against the wall of the cabin. Osiris glanced back at Daniel before turning once more to Janet.

"Dr. Jackson, it does seem that you and the Goa'uld have rather similar taste in women."

When the sharp pain of the hand device had ceased, Janet knew she had to stay alert, much as her body wanted merely to curl up and try to recover. She forced her mind to concentrate, vaguely aware of what Osiris was saying to Daniel. She had dropped her zat, but it hadn't done much good anyway. Suddenly, she realized she still clutched the hypodermic needle full of heavy sedative that she was going to administer to the king before he fell unconscious. Something Sam had said about needles and force shields stuck in her mind. Her fuzzy brain registered Sam and Teal'c flying across the room and O'Neill struggling to get up from where he lay. Osiris turned back to her, and Janet mustered all her strength to pull herself to her knees and lunge forward at the Goa'uld. Her hand was repelled by the force shield, but the needle plunged into Osiris's thigh. The pain of the hand device returned almost instantly, but it soon wavered, and Janet managed to look up to see the shield flicker and the Goa'uld slump over in a stupor.

Janet tried to focus on the sounds around her. O'Neill's voice was strained with pain as he shouted orders. "Carter, untie Daniel and check on the Doc. T, tie up Osiris. Then we'd better hope we don't run into trouble trying to get to the gate."

Suddenly, Janet felt tender hands stroking her hair and face, and Daniel lifted her into his lap. "Janet? Janet, honey, are you okay? Can you hear me?" Janet forced her eyes open and found Daniel's face hovering over hers, his blue eyes concerned and threatening tears. She squeezed the hand that clutched hers.

"Yeah, I'm okay," she said weakly. "Bad headache."

"Those hand devices will do that," he answered, embracing her and planting a gentle but impassioned kiss on her forehead. "Oh, Janet, I was so scared I was going to lose you," he whispered, his voice breaking slightly. "Please don't ever leave me. I can't lose you!"

"I'm here," she reassured him. She was content to rest in his arms for a few minutes until she felt stronger. She sat up and surveyed the scene: Teal'c stood guard over Osiris, and Sam was fussing over Jack's leg. "I need to check the Colonel's injury," Janet told Daniel as he helped her stand.

Janet was dressing the burn on Jack's leg, glad that it was nothing that some sterile cleaning, antibiotics, and a night in the infirmary wouldn't take care of, when she heard the groans of her other patient.

"What is this?" demanded the king, despite the evident pain in his voice. "Who is this woman tied up here? Who are these other people? Where are my guards?"

Osiris chose that moment to begin to wake up from the sedative. "We are Osiris," she declared, not quite as haughtily as usual, as she struggled against her bindings.

"Doc, you'd better knock her out again," warned O'Neill. "Nice job earlier, by the way."

Janet moved gingerly toward her supplies, wondering what she was going to do about the king. He was a royal pain in the ass, but she couldn't just leave a patient here.

Suddenly, events began to happen all at once again. Teal'c had neglected to remove Osiris's hand device, and despite her bindings, she was able to trigger it. She tried to aim at Janet but missed, the blast hitting the king, who was knocked out of his bed by its force. At that moment, the last of the native guards entered the room to see what was going on, saw his sovereign attacked, and immediately opened fire on the attacker.

"No, oh, son of a—" cried O'Neill in protest as the Goa'uld convulsed and then was still.

"Sarah!" Daniel breathed in shock.

Sam quickly zatted the guard. "Sir, we need to get out of here now before we have more company." She then ran to check for a pulse in both the king and Sarah/Osiris. She looked to her friends, shaking her head slowly. Daniel stood stunned and open-mouthed, and Janet looked like she was going to be sick.

Meanwhile, Jack had gone into full command mode. "Carter, what's the situation outside?"

She grabbed her weapon and surveyed out the door. "It's all clear, sir. It looks like we should be able to skirt around the town and get back to the gate without encountering resistance."

"Good. T, I'm not so sure I can walk, so you've got to help me. Daniel, snap out of it and help Janet. Carter, cover our sixes."

The trip back to the gate seemed excruciatingly long to Janet. She had an arm wrapped around Daniel's waist and was leaning heavily on him, pausing every hundred yards or so to throw up. Her headache shamed the worst migraine she had ever had, and her whole body felt like it was barely holding together. She vaguely registered Daniel saying things like "Good job, baby," and "Almost there, Jan. Just a little further," as he pulled her along. Then she saw Sam dialing the gate, and she was home, practically tumbling onto the ramp with Daniel, and finally allowing herself to pass out as two of her medics lifted her onto a gurney.

* * *

Daniel sat by the infirmary bed, holding Janet's small hand in both of his and watching her sleep. As soon as she blinked her eyes open, he leaned over her, smiling and stroking a piece of hair out of her face.

"Hi," he said softly. "How are you feeling?"

Janet paused to assess. "Better," she answered. "Still a little headache and generally kind of weak and achy, but definitely better."

"Good," he said with a grin as he leaned over to kiss her tenderly.

"Mmm, that helps," she teased as he pulled away.

"Oh, well in that case, I'll just have to do it again!"

A few minutes later, Daniel sat on the edge of the bed, his arms around Janet as she leaned against him. "You were great back there, you know," he murmured against her ear. "To think of the hypodermic needle—at enough velocity, it goes through the shield because it's so sharp. And while she was scrambling your head at the same time. You really saved us all."

"I couldn't save my patient." She paused. "Or Sarah."

"Hey, look at me." He shifted her so that he could look her in the face. "It wasn't your fault that they died. You were trying to save Sarah. We almost did, and I'm grieved that we couldn't. But it wasn't your fault, and it wasn't my fault. It was just a tragic accident. And the most important thing to me is that you're okay."

Janet's expression, as comprehension dawned, was strangely surprised. "You really mean that?" she asked.

"Of course!" Daniel replied without hesitation. "I love you, Janet!"

"You do?" A wonder-filled smile crept across her features.

In response, Daniel captured her lips in a fierce kiss, lacing his fingers in her hair and plundering her mouth with his tongue. "Yes, I do," he answered breathlessly as the kiss ended minutes later.

Janet wrapped her arms around him and held on tightly, breathing in the scent of him and basking in the feel of his arms holding her, his face buried in the crook of her neck. "I love you, too, Daniel."

* * *

The End 


End file.
